Puerto Rico hit by magnitude 5.8 earthquake

The U.S. Geological Service reported that a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit Puerto Rico early Monday morning, according to The Associated Press.

The earthquake hit off Puerto Rico’s southern coast with an epicenter just eight miles south of the barrio of Indios. It was one of the strongest in a series of intermittent quakes over the last week, according to Angel Vazquez, the emergency management director for the southern coastal city of Ponce.

“This is one of the strongest quakes to date since it started shaking on Dec. 28,” Vasquez told the AP. “It lasted a long time.”

Although no injuries or major structural damage were reported in the immediate aftermath of the quake, Vasquez said power outages were reported in some parts of the country, and residents also reported minor landslides temporarily closing some roads along the southern coast.

Dr. Sindia Alvarado, a resident of Penuelas on the southern coast, told the AP she “thought the house was going to crack in half” when the quake hit.

“My entire family woke up screaming,” she told the AP.

The previous quakes began around Dec. 28 and have ranged in magnitude from 4.7 to 5.1, according to the AP, with some reportedly knocking goods off supermarket shelves and cracking homes.